The Irish standard., 1887-12-17
NkNN!E'S AER0ISM.
Written for the Catholic Home Almanac. y
BY HELEN o'DoNNELL.

and looked anxiously down the road,
wondering what could keep her broth
er Tim. Tim was a cripple, and bis
prolonged absence filed Mamie with
fear and alarm. AS long as she could
remember, Mamie had been, in meas
ure, both father and mother to the
afflicted boy. Her mother had died
when Mamie ard her brother were quite
small, while her father, Dick Marshall
AS he was called-was poor creature,
whose small earnings went to the
liquor. dealer, leaving his children to
look out for themselves as best they
could.
Happily for them, their mother, dur
ing her short stay on earth, had in
stiiled in their minds lessons Of piety
which they never folgot, and when
worn out with sickness and sorrow,
she laid down the weary burden she
bad 80 long borne, her brave little
daughter took it up, and with a devo-
tion remarkable III one Of her tender
years, labored not only for herself and
Tim, but for her djssipated father as
well. until he, too. died.
Shortly before his death Dick called
h1s daughterto the bedside. Mamie,
said he, I'm afeard you'll always have
to take care O Tim. I don't b']ieve
he'll ever be good for anything, but
you've done we'll by him so far, and Dy
me too, little gal. Lord bless you for
itl' Which meagra PREPARATION, was
all religious or herwise--that the
unfortunatta man made ere setting
forth on his journey to the other
world.
The children, TO their credit be it
said grieved over him as if he had been
the kindest OF parents, not that he
was ever positively unkind, only me.
glectful like AS charitable neighbor
expressed it.
About fifteen months had elapsed
s1nce that event, and Tim and Nannie
continued to occupy the dilapidated
hovel, paying for it by gathering ap-
Pies, potatoes and vegetables in the
season, for the crusty OLD farmer on
whose ground it stood; he taking cred
it for doing generous deed to She
Urp}ans, whereas he WAS really get~
ting twice the value Of the shanty, in
their hard ]ahOr.
But the children considered them
selves fortunate 70 be allowed to stay
there OF any terms, instead cf Tim
being sent to the poor house as some OF
the ttticious neigbors proposed, while
Maxwell any OF them would be will
ing to take her for her services which
they sreckcneta would be worth her
Keep
rhehtt!e girl. however, fought brave
ly against such an arrangement Tim
should not 60 to The poor house, she
said, she Dr. mised her dear mother Oh
her dying bed that she would always
look aytex him. ard how could she do
il if he were taken miles aWay2'
SO the benevolent scheme failed,
thanks to Nannie's determination, and
the children were allowed TO stay On in
the old place.
As heretofore, Mamie worked early
and late, cooking the meals, washing,
nlending and making her own a,,d
linl's simple clo,hing, tidying up the
house, cultivating the little pa'ch Of
STONY ground she called garden, be
sides engaging in various indust res
whereby she earned sufficient means to
supply their small wants. Tim rem
dered her all the help he possibly could.
but his spine was crooked and his leg
50 drawn up that he could scarcely hob
bic about with the aid of a crutch,
nlnch less accomplish anything in the
way of work; nor would Mamie allow
him to do anything that would fatigue
or pain nlm. ..-
No, Yin,' she would say, 'don't try
that, you will hurt y, III back il you do.
Leave it all TO me, I'm SO much
stronger
And Tim would reluctantly yield to
her request and return to his whiting,
the only way he had Of beguiling the
tedious hours when Mamie was busy
Or away, ....
Thus the DAYS and months went by.
Days and months that might have been
dreary enough to the isolated children,
but never having known what it was
to have pleasant home and loving
friends, they did not feel the want of
them very keenlY. The nearest church
or school was three miles away, and
as Tim could not walk that distance,
and Mamie would not go without him,
they were deprived of what would
otherwise have been great pleasure
to them both.
AS for neighbors, they were few in
number and widely scattered, and for
the most part gave the children wide
berth, fearing to show any interest in
them might entail some responsibility.
One day when Mamie was absent, q
young man stopped at the shanty to